CAYE CAULKER (BELIZE)
21 February - 24 February 2017
And to think, Caye Caulker almost
didn’t make our itinerary. It was in and out like a cheap highway diner in Nebraska, never
truly making its presence felt, never delivering an overwhelming statement or
value proposition as to why we needed to be there. It stood like an outcast, a nobody within our
mix of ‘must do’ places on our Central American escapade.
In the end Caye Caulker turned
out to be the most unexpected and memorable stop that we made. On the back of Cayeans (or is it the Caulkans?) fundamental philosophy of life, ‘No
shirt, no shoes…no problem’ and a relentless breeze that can sway your
hammock into a Caribbean induced coma, we loosely played with the feelings
of Caye Caulker and now that makes me feel slightly ashamed. I was un-learned, un-schooled in the ways of the Cayes, but now I have had my life improved significantly.
Caye Caulker - Belize
La Cubana Hostel - Caye Caulker - Belize
Not a bad location for a hostel huh :)
One of the main streets on Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker - Belize
If the place is hammock ready then Inga loves it!
Caye Caulker - Belize
Sitting pretty some 35kms north-east
of one of the most ordinary of world capitals, Belize City, Caye Caulker is a place
where you’re greeted with a balmy breeze, palm trees, soft sand and low, bright
multi-coloured buildings as you step off the main pier. It’s the epitome of
reggae, just in Belize fashion. Lonely Planet says that the easy going nature
is due in part to the strong Creole presence on the island, which pulses to the classic reggae beat,
forming a more than suitable home to those translated Rastafarians.
Shoes are redundant here. Walking
barefoot is almost obligatory and getting dressed up for the night means
pulling out your best ‘flip flops’, or as Australians would put it, thongs.
Golf carts transport new arrivals to their lodgings around the small town (and really, a car here would not even be a
waste, it would be pure stupidity),
there are no traffic lights, street signs or any real association a town of any
real size. This is the ‘chill zone’ where island time is as serious as you want
to make it. And there you have the beauty of Caye Caulker, a paradise without
the massive crowds, without the high rises, with the beautiful calm water of
the Caribbean and your beck & call. Bliss would be the classic
understatement.
Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker - Belize
Take your pick
Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker - Belize
We didn’t have any accommodation
booked on arrival but managed to quickly find the La Cubana hostel, located almost at the end of the pier for the San
Pedro-Belize express ferry. A small, clean but occasionally inconvenient
hostel, it was an ok place to stay, made bearable at night only by the presence
of an air conditioner – which unfortunately we did not have for our first two
evenings. Oh well, the small pains of paradise.
The Caye itself is 8kms long,
split right in the middle by a little channel cut by cyclone Hattie in 1961.
The ever present cut, known by all as “The Split” is at the northern end of the
southern island of the Caye and provides a good swimming opportunity for all
those revellers taking up a position at the fabulous Lazy Lizard bar for the
day.
Caye Caulker - Belize
Out on the reef with a few stingrays - Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker - Belize
Par for the course - Smirnoffs at the ready
Caye Caulker - Belize
Walking around on sand all day,
heading from bar to bar, i.e., Ana Genie, Bryce’s Beach BBQ, the Lazy Lizard,
we could have been forgiven having our time occupied just by doing that…but no,
we had the want and desire to do more, like watching the fabulous sunsets on
the western side of the island each afternoon, taking some SUP’s out for an
attempted circumnavigation which didn’t quite make the great and partaking in
the cuisine which ended up being mostly quesadillas, pork and whatever else
could wash that down, which as this point in time was Smirnoff Double Black Zero’s…and really, how good a place is it
that you can just buy a bottle of alcohol, open it right in the shop and walk
barefoot on the sand streets without a care in the world!?
Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker - Belize
Priorities
Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker, we love you!
